What number of HDL cholesterol should I aim for?

HDL is the "good " cholesterol in your body. With this number, the higher, the better. A low level of HDL cholesterol increases your risk of heart disease. A blood level of 40 mg/dL or more is the target number for HDL.

Optimal levels for HDL cholesterol have been set by different groups. Less than 40 mg/dL in men and less than 50 mg/dL in women are considered "low”. While these levels may track with risk for heart disease for groups of patients (populations), there is no evidence that trying to raise HDL cholesterol with medications reduces risk for heart attacks or stroke. If your HDL cholesterol is low, careful consideration by your physician to understand why it is low is important. Treating the underlying cause, and targeting the LDL Cholesterol and then another target called "non-HDL cholesterol" is what our current national guidelines suggest. HDL Cholesterol has many roles, in most cases protective for heart disease, but also in most cases NOT measured by traditional testing. Careful consideration of these factors is necessary to any complete cardiovascular risk evaluation.

Guidelines from the National Cholesterol Education Program consider high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels of 60 mg/dL or above protective against heart disease, while levels of less than 40 mg/dL are regarded as too low and increase your risk.

To boost your HDL, your best bets are to lose weight, eat well (paying particular attention to minimizing unhealthy fats and consuming more heart-healthy fats), engage in more physical activity, stop smoking, and drink alcohol in moderation (no more than one drink a day for women and two for men). Certain medications can also help to raise HDL levels.

A good goal for HDL cholesterol is 40 milligrams per deciliter or higher. If your number is below 40 mg/dl, you should consider discussing it with your family doctor to see what it means for you. In general, people with low HDL cholesterol levels are at increased risk for heart attacks and strokes.

Articles

We need cholesterol, a fatty, waxy substance because our cells use it to form the membrane - a critical part of the cell. But because it is fatty, it does not dissolve in the blood, but is carried to your cells by certain proteins. We get concerned about cholesterol when there is too much of it, particularly when there is too much "Low-Density Lipoprotein" or LDL cholesterol. This type of cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for coronary heart disease.
On the other hand, there is High-Density or HDL cholesterol, which is "good" cholesterol, and good levels of HDL are associated with less risk of stroke and heart attack.